Management of health, safety and environment in process industry

The present status of industrial HSE management in a number of EU member states is reviewed, with a focus on the integration of health, safety and environment in single management systems. The review provides insight into the standards and paradigms adopted by industry, and it identifies trends and needs for improvement. It appears that most industries consider goal-based HSE management programs to be a success and believe them to contribute to the profitability of the industry. We conclude that HSE management would benefit greatly from guidance on how to use existing management systems efficiently and also from the further development of meaningful safety performance indicators that identify the conditions prior to accidents and incidents. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.